Display apparatus are generally classified into transmissive display apparatus that perform display operation by using light emitted from a backlight and transmitted through the backside of a screen and reflective display apparatus that perform display operation by using reflected external light. A transmissive display apparatus is characterized by high chroma and high visibility of a screen even in a dark environment, whereas a reflective display apparatus is characterized by low power consumption and high visibility of a screen even in a bright environment.
Further, there is a display apparatus having both the characteristics of a transmissive display apparatus and a reflective display apparatus, for example, a semi-transmissive display apparatus having transmissive display regions (transmissive display sections) and reflective display regions (reflective display sections) in a single pixel (see JP-A-2009-93115, for example). A semi-transmissive display apparatus performs display operation by using transmitted light from a backlight in a dark environment whereas performing display operation by using reflected external light in a bright environment.
A semi-transmissive display apparatus, which is characterized by high visibility of a screen both in bright and dark environments and low power consumption, is used as a display section of an electronic system, particularly, a mobile electronic system frequently used in outdoor settings (mobile terminal device), for example, digital cameras and other mobile information devices and mobile phones and other mobile communication devices.